Benin authorities today announced the arrest of the head of the presidential guard, a former minister and a businessman, who were allegedly plotting a “coup” in the West African country.

“It appears that the commander of the presidential guard, responsible for the security of the head of state, was approached by (former) minister Oswald Omeki on behalf of Mr. Olivier Boko, with the intention of attempting a coup on September 27, 2024,” said a prosecutor Court for the Suppression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism of Benin.

Oswald Omeki, a former sports minister, was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday as he handed over six bags of money to Djimon Dieudone Tevezire, commander of the presidential guard, judicial authorities said. The prosecutor specified that the amount of money amounted to “1.5 billion West African francs”, about 2.2 million euros.

Businessman Olivier Boko, a friend of President Patrice Talon, was arrested the same night in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and financial capital. Boko had expressed political ambitions, hinting that he intended to run for the presidency in 2026, which would upset Patrice Talon, who has been in power since 2016.